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One of my favorite holidays is Thanksgiving. There is something invigorating about the crisp Missouri air during this time of year. Also, the holiday is primarily about family and food and generally devoid of consumerism, which is refreshing in the hyper-marketed world that we live in. However, the celebration of food and family is only part of the Thanksgiving equation for me. I often ponder happiness, gratitude and peace during the holiday.

I often refer to my well-thumbed copy of the “Varieties of Religious Experience” by William James when I think of Thanksgiving. Starting with lectures IV and V, James writes: “If we were to ask the question: ‘What is human life’s chief concern?’ one of the answers we should receive would be: ‘It is happiness.’ How to gain, how to keep, how to recover happiness . . .” Perhaps Thanksgiving is a good time to reflect on what has made us joyful during the year, in addition to giving thanks for the many blessings we have received.

About this time last year, my then three-year-old daughter gave me a “Daddy present.” “Daddy presents” are often crumpled pieces of paper with incredibly cute drawings on them stuffed into small envelopes. With a flying pony sticker on the front. This gift, though, was a purple bracelet with “Complaint Free World” engraved on the side. It was bought for 5 cents at a garage sale. DBRL has several books associated with the “Complaint Free World” movement, including the popular “Complaint Free World: How to Stop Complaining and Enjoy Life.” The movement was started by Will Bowen, who is relatively local (based in Kansas City), and the book is a gratitude-based look at life in the modern world. His motto is: “if you feel you must complain about something, try to change what it is in your life that is causing you to complain.” The most updated version was published in 2013.

In the same vein, look no further than Victor Frankls’ book “Man’s Search for Meaning.” Frankl lost all of his family during the Holocaust and is himself a survivor of the Nazi death camps. He emerged from the experience with tremendous insight into the human condition, and indeed, into the very heart of what makes us grateful, successful and happy creatures. The main premise of “Man’s Search for Meaning” is that happiness and gratitude come from working toward something greater than oneself. “Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long run – in the long run, I say – success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think of it.”

Thanksgiving time is also usually still lovely in Mid-Missouri. The trees still hold some color, the weather can be warm, and Thanksgiving Day hikes are a favorite in our family. For a celebration of trees and nature, one might pick up a copy of Jane Goodall’s recent “Seeds of Hope: Wisdom and Wonder From Plants.” In this book, Goodall discusses a variety of issues surrounding ecology, plants and agriculture. She asks us to strive for a transformational appreciation of the natural world as a source of societal renewal.

Finally, philosophy aside, Thanksgiving is perhaps most importantly a celebration of all that is important about food: it’s sustaining properties, cultural significance and seasonal variety (the pilgrims probably would not have survived without some of the common foods celebrated during the holiday, such as corn introduced to them by local Indians). A recent anthology of poems about food was published in 2013: “The Hungry Ear: Poems of Food & Drink” edited by Kevin Young. “Food transports us to another place” writes Young. Even if it’s just to the couch after Thanksgiving turkey.

This fascinating documentary explores the genesis of one of cinema’s greatest epics that never was: cult filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky’s (EL TOPO) adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic Dune, whose cast would have included such icons as Salvador Dali, Orson Welles and Mick Jagger. In 1975, following the runaway success of his art-house freak-outs EL TOPO and HOLY MOUNTAIN, Alejandro Jodorowsky secured the rights to Frank Herbert’s Dune – and began work on what was gearing up to be a cinematic game-changer, a sci-fi epic unlike anything the world had ever seen.

Now considered one of the 20th century’s greatest street photographers, Vivian Maier was a mysterious nanny who secretly took over 100,000 photographs that went unseen during her lifetime. Vivian’s strange and riveting life and art are revealed through never-before-seen photos, films, and interviews with dozens who thought they knew her.

In 2008, eighth-grader Brandon McInerney shot classmate Larry King at point blank range. Unraveling this tragedy from point of impact, the film reveals the heartbreaking circumstances that led to the shocking crime as well as the aftermath.

The documentary “American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs” (82 min.) is the latest from Columbia-native filmmaker Grace Lee (“The Grace Lee Project“). This film focuses on Grace Lee Boggs, a 98 year old Chinese American philosopher, writer, and activist in Detroit with a thick FBI file and a surprising vision of what an American revolution can be. In this film we see how Boggs continually challenges a new generation to throw off old assumptions, think creatively and redefine revolution for our times. The screening is a collaboration with POV, PBS’ award-winning nonfiction film series.

A notorious urban dirt bike pack in Baltimore that pops wheelies, weaves at excessive speeds through traffic, and impressively evades the hamstrung police. Their stunning antics are viewed through the eyes of adolescent Pug, a bright kid from the Westside obsessed with the riders and willing to do anything to join their ranks.

Explores how the perennial teen quest for identity and connection has migrated to social media, and exposes the game of cat-and-mouse that corporations are playing with these young consumers. Here is a powerful examination of the evolving and complicated relationship between teens and the companies that are increasingly working to target them.